.- What's happening with mortgage rates and the yield curve?

That is an option, the interest rate is higher just a heads up, and if you use it as a live in flip you can make it so you do not have payments for the mortgage for the first 6 months of the loan due to construction!

Market fundamentals to consider: population growth, average income, median home price and average rent, crime rate.

Cold calling is something that has become something I enjoy.

Your existing low interest rate mortgage is an asset that you likely won't get again.To Your Success!

But then again I don’t have a vested interest in their buying in to the hype.The other side of the “nothing down” methodology is that in many, if not most instances, being able to put together a nothing down deal results in paying over market value for the subject property, or over market interest rate for the financing.  

The deal doesn't work as well with higher interest rates.

It's a super affordable real estate market where you can still find deals that hit the 1% rule and positive cash flow/great cap rates.

High interest rates are deal killers IMHO.

Chicago is losing housing stock at an alarming rate.